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FITCHBURG HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 



GENERAL JAMES REED. 






A PAPER READ AT A MEETING OF THE SOCIETY, 
DECEMBER 18, 1899. 



BY JAMBS F. D. GARFIELD. 


FITCHBURG 

SENTINEL PRINTING COMPANY, PRINTERS 

1908. 



























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GEN. JAMES REED. 
















FITCHBURG HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 


GENERAL JAMES REED 


A PAPER READ AT A MEETING OF THE SOCIETY, 
DECEMBER 18, 1899. 


BY JAMES F. D. GARFIELD. 

i\ 



FITCHBURG: 

SENTINEL PRINTING COMPANY, PRINTERS. 

1908. 









Gift 

Author 

(Pftrion) 
JAN It 1910 








GENERAL JAMES REED. 


In each of the older cemeteries of this city repose the 
remains of Revolutionary soldiers, whose graves have, 
through the liberality of the president of this society, been 
appropriatly marked with the distinguishing symbol of 
the Sons of the American Revolution. 

In one of these marked graves rest the remains of 
General James Reed, the subject of this paper, who died in 
Fitchburg, February 13, 1807, and whose place of burial 
is near the easterly entrance to Laurel Hill cemetery. 

General James Reed was from a distinguished family; 
he was born in Woburn, Mass., January 8, 1722-3, and 
was the eighth of the ten children of Thomas and Sarah 
(Sawyer) Reed. His father, known as Lieut. Thomas Reed, 
died August 18, 1736; his mother died January 21, 1737-8. 
Lieut/ Thomas Reed was a son of George and Hannah 
(Rockwell) Reed, and a grandson of William Reed, the 
immigrant, who with wife Mabel (Kendall), sailed from 
London July, 1635, arrived in Boston in October the same 
year, and in 1648 settled in Woburn. From the time of 
William Reed’s settlement there the ancestors of James 
Reed were residents of Woburn, and his birth and paren¬ 
tage, as here given, are fully sustained by the records of 
that town.* 

Very little is known of the youth and early manhood 
of James Reed. He married Abigail Hinds of New Salem, 
Mass., and first settled in Brookfield in this county. He 
afterwards removed to the centre of Lunenburg where he 
was an innholder for several years, although by trade he 

* In the “Reed Genealogy” it is asserted that Gen. James Reed was 
a son of Joseph and Sarah (Rice) Reed, and was born in Woburn in 
1724. The error has been repeated in several later publications. 




4 


General yames Reed. 


was a tailor. The records at Brookfield and at Lunenburg 
show his connection with the church in both of those 
places. He was admitted to full communion in the Lu¬ 
nenburg church April 7, 1751, and it is probable that his 
removal from Brookfield was in the early part of the 
same year. 

He is described as a man of ordinary height, well 
built and very active, care-taking and energetic. That he 
was a tailor by trade is shown by his company roll in 
which the occupation of each man is given; and that he 
was an innholder at Lunenburg appears from a petition 
by the selectmen of that town for a license as innholder 
to Joshua Hutchins, “in place of Captain James Reed 
who is now going into His Majesty’s service.” The loca¬ 
tion of his inn was on the westerly side of the common, 
the site so many years later occupied for the same pur¬ 
pose. 

He remained a resident of Lunenburg till late in 1764 
or the early part of 1765, when he moved his family to 
Monadnoc No. 4, now Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. He 
was a selectman of Lunenburg in 1763 and 1764. In a 
deed dated March 4, 1765, he is styled “of Lunenburg,” 
although he had spent some time at Fitzwilliam during 
the previous year. He was paid for labor and supervision 
in building roads in that town in 1764,—eighty and one- 
half days, and for still longer periods during the two fol¬ 
lowing years. 

In 1768 he had become the owner of over three thou¬ 
sand acres of land in Fitzwilliam, and had erected a large 
and commodious two-story house—the first frame house 
erected in the town—with a large barn and stable. The 
buildings were located about a mile northwesterly of the 
present centre village, and the house was kept by him for 
some years as an inn. Many of the Proprietors’ meetings 
were held in it, as well as most of the religious services 
of the settlers previous to the erection of the first meet¬ 
ing-house. The ordination of the first minister of Fitz¬ 
william, Rev. Benjamin Brigham, also took place under 
its roof. Captain Reed was moderator of the Proprietors’ 
meeting, November 14, 1769, which was the first meeting 
held in the new township; and he was Proprietors’ clerk 


General James Reed. 


5 


from that time till 1776. His name appears as a mem¬ 
ber of all the most important committees that shaped the 
action of the people of the new settlement in establishing 
their civil and religious institutions. 

His military career commenced in 1755, when he served 
in a campaign against the French and Indians in the 
vicinity of Lake George, in which he commanded a com¬ 
pany of Provincial troops in the regiment under Col. Jo- 
siah Brown; and from that time on until the peace of 
1762 he was engaged much of the time in the same 
service. 

In the Massachusetts archives at the state house there 
are many documents which relate to his service. The ear¬ 
liest which I have found bears date September 28, 1755, 
and contains a “ List of names of the Men that are to 
join the Expedition to Crown Point, in the Regiment 
whereof Josiah Brown, Esq., is Colonel, which Company is 
under the command of Capt [Timothy Gibson] James 
Reed.” The name Timothy Gibson in the heading to this 
roll is crossed out and that of James Reed written in,— 
and this probably marks the date of James Reed’s com¬ 
mission as captain. The Timothy Gibson whom he suc¬ 
ceeded in that office was a resident of Stow, Mass., and 
was the father of the Fitchburg Gibsons, Isaac and Reu¬ 
ben, who settled on Pearl Hill. The company was com¬ 
posed of forty-two men, all from Stow and Lunenburg. 
Among the twelve or fifteen Lunenburg names I recognize 
those of several from that part of the town afterwards 
set off as the town of Fitchburg, viz.: Edward Scott, Ne- 
hemiah haulier, Phinehas and William Stewart, Ephraim 
Osborn and Samuel Peirce. Among the other Lunenburg 
names is that of Benoni Wallis, ancestor of Hon. Rodney 
Wallace, and also of Robert N. Wallis of this city. 

The next paper is an acknowledgment from forty-six 
men under Capt. Reed in the expedition to Crown Point 
in 1756, as having received their billeting (or subsistence) 
to Albany. Among the names are those of William and 
Benjamin Scott, Jonathan White, Jonathan White, Jr., 
John Cummings, Samuel Hodgkins, Bradstreet Spafford, 
John Scott and Manasseh Litch, which appear to be 
Fitchburg names. 


6 


General James Reed . 


Then comes a roll dated Fort Edward, July 26, 1756, 
containing the names of thirty-three men, of whom sixteen 
are from Lunenburg—the others from adjoining or neigh¬ 
boring towns. In this document the occupations of the 
men are given; twenty-one were farmers, two were tailors 
(one of whom was Capt. Reed), two were clothiers, three 
blacksmiths, two carpenters, one shoemaker, one brick¬ 
layer, and one acknowledged himself to be a laborer. 
Twenty-eight of the number volunteered, five were hired, 
but none were drafted. The recording officer appears to 
have had a way of spelling all his own, and reports one 
man, a blacksmith from Townsend, as “Disarted.” 

Next is a roll dated Fort William Henry, October 11, 
1756, numbering forty-five names, in which Captain Reed 
certifies that certain men were absent for no other reasons 
than those assigned, viz., sickness, death, etc. Certain en¬ 
tries in this document indicate that the company had been 
seeing hard service. Four men—William White, John 
Brown, Manasseh Litch and Jonas Tarbell are reported 
as dead; and thirteen are reported as sick, or absent for 
other cause. 

Next comes a muster roll containing fifty names,—ser¬ 
vice performed from February 18, 1756, to December 22 
of the same year. Of the fifty men, twenty-three were 
from Lunenburg, including the part now Fitchburg. 
Thomas Brown, John Harriman and John Scott, three 
Lunenburg men, are reported as dead. James Reed, as 
captain, made oath to the correctness of the roll. 

A muster roll of Capt. Reed’s company, containing 
sixty-six names of men who marched on an alarm for the 
relief of Fort William Henry—return dated January 8, 
1758,—contains the names of Ephraim Osborn, Jonathan 
Wood, Jonathan Holt, William Steward, Samuel Hodg¬ 
kins and other Fitchburg names. 

Next is a roll of Capt. Reed’s company, numbering 
seventy-eight names, with dates of enlistment from March 
13 to May 22, 1758. The company marched on May 22, 
and formed a part of Col. Timothy Ruggles’ regiment of 
the army under Gen. Abercrombie, in the unfortunate at¬ 
tack on Ticonderoga, then held by the French under Gen. 
Montcalm. 


General yarnes Reed. 


7 


Next, a muster roll of ninety names, bearing date 
February 13, 1760—of which twenty-nine of the men 
were from Lunenburg, seven from Leominster, thirty from 
Lancaster, seven from Narragansett No. 2, now Westmin¬ 
ster, while Winchendon, Rindge and other places were 
represented by smaller numbers. The service was from 
March 31 to December 19, 1759,—thirty-seven weeks and 
five days. 

Finally, a pay-roll of the company in His Majesty’s 
service, under command of Capt. James Reed, from April 
18, 1761, to January 1, 1762—thirty-seven weeks. Among 
the names in this roll were those of Samuel and Joseph 
Downe, sons of William Downe, Esq., living in the part 
of Lunenburg now Fitchburg. Capt. Reed also com¬ 
manded a company in the campaign of the summer of 
1762. 

These successive rolls show the almost continuous ser¬ 
vice of Capt. Reed through the war from 1755 to 1762, 
when peace was declared between the two countries, 
France and England, and the hardy settlers could lay 
down their implements of warfare and return to their 
homes to engage in the arts of peace. 

The mention of Col. Timothy Ruggles, of whose regi¬ 
ment Capt. Reed’s company formed a part, reminds me 
that one of my own ancestors, Samuel Garfield of Spen¬ 
cer, was in the same regiment, though in a different com¬ 
pany. Some old letters written by him while in the ser¬ 
vice have been preserved, and one or two brief extracts 
will give just a glimpse of the soldier’s life of that day. 

On the 10th of June he wrote to his family, dated 
“Flat Bush, 6 miles above Albany. We are now arrived 
at Hudson’s river, and have had a tedious march through 
the woods.” Under date “Fort Miller 22 d of June,” he 
writes: “We expect to march immediately forward to the 
lake. There are about six thousand men here now, and 
provisions enough for fourteen thousand men six weeks, 
and a vast quantity more at Fort Edward.” Again, un¬ 
der date of “Lake George, July 4 th ,” when on the eve of 
embarking for the attack on Ticonderoga, he writes to his 
wife: “I received your letter dated y e 17 th of June yester¬ 
day, and am glad to hear that you are all well. I have 


8 


General Janies Reed. 


been at work with the carpenters in the King’s works 
ever since the 12 th of June, and now our battoes are all 
loaded, and our orders are to embark for Ticonderoga to¬ 
morrow morning by break of day. I beg your prayers 
for me that I may be kept from all Evil, and especially 
from Sin, and in God’s time be returned in Safety.” His 
expectation to set sail on the morrow at break of day 
was fulfilled. History informs us that on the morning of 
July 5, 1758, which was Sunday, Abercrombie’s whole 
army, consisting of nearly sixteen thousand men—nine 
thousand of whom were Provincials and the balance Brit¬ 
ish regulars—embarked in bateaux and proceeded down 
the lake. Ticonderoga at this time was garrisoned by 
about four thousand men under Montcalm, who had 
strengthened his position in anticipation of an attack. 
On the morning of the 6th, Abercrombie landed his arn^ 
at Sabbath Day Point, near the outlet of Lake George, 
and advanced through the dense woods and tangled mo¬ 
rasses towards Ticonderoga. Suddenly his advance guard 
was attacked by a scouting party of French, and Lord 
Howe, second in command, and the most accomplished 
officer of the expedition, fell at the commencement of the 
action. The French were, however, repulsed, and Aber¬ 
crombie, confident in the strength of superior numbers, 
pushed on to the attack. After an unsuccessful siege of 
two days a final effort was made, on the 8th, to scale the 
breastworks in the face of the enemy’s fire; but, after a 
bloody conflict of four hours in a vain attempt to carrv 
the works, Abercrombie fell back on Lake George, leaving 
almost two thousand men dead and wounded in the woods 
under the guns of the fort, or prisoners in the hands of 
the enemy. 

Though Abercrombie’s expedition was a failure, the 
campaign of 1758 as a whole was favorable to the Eng¬ 
lish. During the next year Ticonderoga, Crown Point and 
Quebec fell in rapid succession, and the year 1760 saw all 
Canada subject to British rule. But little in detail can be 
given of Capt. Reed’s services in these campaigns; but 
that his military career was creditable to himself and val¬ 
uable to his country is indicated by his continuous service 
and by the increased number of men who volunteered from 


General James Reed. 


9 


year to year to serve in his command. The old French 
wars have been well characterized as a contest between 
Protestant England and Catholic France for supremacy in 
North America. They were, at the same time, the school 
in which our fathers acquired that knowledge of military 
science, and that experience in the art of war, which en¬ 
abled them to enter upon the Revolutionary struggle and 
to prosecute it to a successful termination. 

In 1769 Capt. Reed, in a petition for consideration by 
the Masonian proprietors and praying that none of his 
rights in Fitzwilliam be forfeited, alleges that he has done 
much service in the Colonial wars, and appends to his 
petition the following table: 

1755. Captain in Col. Josiah Brown’s regiment. 

1756. Captain in Col. Timothy Ruggles’ regiment. 

1758. Captain in Col. Timothy Ruggles’ regiment. 

1759. Captain in Col. Timothy Ruggles’ regiment. 

1761. Captain in Col. Timothy Ruggles’ regiment. 

1755. Commission signed by Lieut. Gov. Spencer Phipps. 

1756. Commission signed by Gov. William Shirley. 

1758 and 1759. Commission signed by Gov. Thomas Pownall. 

1761 and 1762. Commission signed by Gov. Francis Bernard. 

In the interval of peace between the close of the war 
in 1762 and the opening of the Revolution, the military 
spirit was not allowed to slumber. It was important that 
an efficient organization of militia should be kept up in 
the colonies for their mutual protection. In 1770 Capt. 
Reed received a commission as lieutenant-colonel from the 
governor of the New Hampshire colony, and in 1775, 
upon receiving tidings of the battle of Lexington, he at 
once raised a company of volunteers and marched with 
them to Cambridge. He continued the work of enlisting, 
and on the first of June, 1775, was commissioned colonel 
of a regiment by the New Hampshire Provincial Assem¬ 
bly. He arrived at Cambridge at the head of his regi¬ 
ment on the 12th of June, and was at first ordered by 
Gen. Ward to find quarters at Medford, where Col. Stark 
was already stationed with the First New Hampshire regi¬ 
ment. Unable to find quarters there he again applied to 
Gen. Ward, who assigned him quarters in the houses near 
Charlestown Neck, with strict orders to keep all necessary 


10 


General yames Reed ’ 


guards between the barracks, the ferry, and Bunker Hill. 
Here he found good quarters, and on the 14th issued reg¬ 
imental orders of a stringent character, indicating that 
the position was an important one and that vigilance 
was necessary for the safety of the command. These or¬ 
ders, and others issued on the 15th, are still preserved 
among the Revolutionary papers at the state house, and 
show him to have been a rigid disciplinarian. 

On the 17th of June at the battle of Bunker Hill, 
Col. Reed stationed his regiment at the rail fence, at the 
left of the redoubt, where he was joined by Col. Stark, 
with his New Hampshire regiment still further to the left. 
The ready genius of Col. Reed designed the breastwork 
which, constructed by his men under fire of the enemy’s 
batteries, so wonderfully preserved them from the disas¬ 
ters of the day. The parapet consisted in part of a stone 
wall, and in part of a double line of rail fence extending 
up the hillside from the Mystic river nearly to the re¬ 
doubt, the space between the lines of fence being filled 
with hay found on the field. 

The position at the rail fence is acknowledged to have 
been the hottest as well as the best fought portion of the 
field. Bancroft says: “The little handful of brave men” 
in the redoubt “would have been effectually cut off but for 
the unfaltering courage of the Provincials at the rail fence 
and the bank of the Mystic.” They had repulsed the 
enemy twice, and now held them in check until the main 
body had left the hill; not till then did the brave New 
Hampshire soldiers quit the station which they had so 
nobly defended. After the redoubt had given way this 
heroic band slowly retreated, and Col. Reed was the last 
officer who left the field. He returned the number of his 
losses in the battle of the 17th as five killed and twenty- 
seven wounded. 

When Washington assumed command of the army in 
July, following the battle of Bunker Hill, Col. Reed with 
his regiment was stationed at Winter Hill in Somerville. 
From this point a line of earth-works was thrown up ex¬ 
tending through Cambridge to Dorchester. The works on 
Cobble Hill (now the site of the McLean Asylum) were 
erected by Gen. Putnam of Connecticut, and those on Mil- 


General yames Reed. 


11 


ler’s Hill in Cambridge were built by Col. Reed. Both 
forts were completed in a short time, and each had its 
own flag raised above its ramparts. Gen. Putnam’s had 
on one side the motto, “An Appeal to Heaven”; and on 
the other, three vines, representing the armonial bearings 
of the Connecticut Colony. Col. Reed’s had on one side, 
in dark blue, a picture of Mount Monadnock with a bright 
scarlet star just above the mountain; beneath which were 
the words, “New Hampshire Strikes for Liberty.” On the 
other side, near the top, was painted a large trumpet and 
sword, and in the centre in large letters: 

“Obedience to God, 

Justice to All, 

Fealty to None.” 

At this time there was no national American flag. 
Betsy Ross, whose name and fame have come down to 
us, had not yet sewn together the stars and stripes. The 
nation, in fact, had not been born; the Declaration of 
Independence had not been proclaimed. Col. Reed and his 
brave men had heretofore served under the King’s colors— 
the flag bearing the cross of St. George. That flag had 
now become an emblem of tryanny, and they resolved to 
“strike for Liberty,” adopting for their motto, “Obedi¬ 
ence to God, Justice to All, Fealty to None.” 

On the evacuation of Boston by the British in March, 
1776, Reed accompanied the patriot army in its move¬ 
ment to New York, and on the 24th of April was assigned 
to the Brigade under Gen. Sullivan to proceed up the Hud¬ 
son to relieve the force under Arnold, in its retreat from 
Canada. The following receipt on file serves to show the 
confidence reposed in Col. Reed by Gen. Washington : 

“New York, April 20, 1776. Then received from Gen. Washington 
three boxes said to contain three hundred thousand dollars, to be deliv¬ 
ered to Gen. Schuyler at Albany. 

(Signed) James Reed.” 

The money was probably for the payment of Schuyler’s 
army. 

Arnold’s force was met by Gen. Sullivan at the river 
Sorell, and Col. Reed was active and efficient in conduct¬ 
ing the retreat from that point to Ticonderoga, where 
they arrived on the first of July. Worn with hardship and 


12 


General James Reed. 


exposure, the army was now attacked by disease, which 
l'apidly thinned its ranks. While stationed at Crown 
Point, Col. Reed was prostrated by fever, which resulted 
in the total loss of his sight, whereby his military career 
and usefulness were terminated. 

On the 9th of August, while still suffering from his 
severe illness, he was appointed by Congress on the recom¬ 
mendation of Washington, a brigadier-general. His com¬ 
mission was forwarded by the president of Congress under 
cover of the following letter: 

“Philadelphia, Aug. 10, 1776. 

Sir : The Congress having yesterday been pleased to promote you 
to the rank of brigadier-general in the army of the American States, I 
do myself the pleasure to enclose your commission, and wish you happy. 
I am, sir, your most obedient and very humble servant, 

John Hancock, President. 

To Brigadier-General James Reed.” 

Unable by reason of his infirmity to remain in the ser¬ 
vice, he retired from the army on half pay until the close 
of the war. For some years after leaving the army he 
resided in Keene, N. H., occupying the confiscated estate 
of Dr. Josiah Pomeroy, a royalist, which was leased to 
him by the state of New Hampshire. While living in Keene 
the blind general was almost daily seen upon the main 
street led by a Mr. Washburn, who was paralyzed on one 
side. The lame had eyes for the blind; the blind had 
strength to support the cripple;—each exchanged that 
which he had to spare for that of which he stood most in 
need. 

During his residence in Keene, Gen. Reed’s wife Abigail 
died. The following inscription is copied from a slate 
stone monument once erected in an ancient burial ground 
in Keene, but later, with others, removed to a new cem¬ 
etery : 

“In memory of Mrs. Abigail, wife of Genl James Reed, who departed 
this life Aug. 27, 1791, in the 68 th year of her age.” 

“There’s nothing here but who as nothing weighs, 

The more our joys the more we know it’s vain ; 

Lose then from Earth the grasp of fond desire— 

Weigh anchor, and some happier clime explore.” 

The old graveyard where her remains were deposited 
was allowed to go unprotected and uncared for till many 


General James Reed. 


13 


of the stones were broken and destroyed. At length the 
few that remained were taken up and set one side and 
the ground plowed and planted. To save the stones from 
further desecration they were taken to a new cemetery 
and set in a row by themselves. An elderly inhabitant of 
Keene, indignant at such abuse of the resting places of 
the dead, suggested that upon each of these stones should 
be placed the additional inscription: “I once lived; 1 died 
and was buried: but where my bones are now crumbling 
into dust } no mortal man can tell.” 

Gen. Reed married for his second wife Mary Farrar, 
a school teacher of Fitzwilliam. In 1798 he removed to 
Fitchburg, where he purchased of Dr. Peter Snow, senior, 
a house located on the site of the present Central block, 
next west of city hall. The lot, one and a fourth acres, 
comprised the land included in Cottage square and part 
of that on which the city hall stands. The deed was dated 
February 3, 1798. After his removal to Fitchburg, Dr. 
Peter S. Snow, then a lad of eight or ten years, used to 
lead the blind old general about the streets of Fitchburg. 
It is related of the general and his wife that both were 
fond of horseback riding, and they were accustomed to 
take frequent rides together. On these occasions the two 
horses were guided by the wife, by means of a rein extend¬ 
ing from one animal’s bit to that of the other. 

Gen. Reed died in Fitchburg, February 13, 1807, aged 
84 years, and was buried with military honors. In the 
funeral procession the widow followed her husband’s re¬ 
mains to the grave on horseback, while the general’s 
horse, with empty saddle, walked by her side. 

Gen. Reed’s family consisted of six sons and five daugh¬ 
ters, and his descendants are quite numerous. Two of his 
sons, Sylvanus and James, served in the war of the Revo¬ 
lution. Sylvanus was an ensign in his father’s regiment. 
His commission, bearing date January 1, 1776, is signed 
by John Hancock, president of Congress. He was adju¬ 
tant under Gen. Sullivan, and was afterwards promoted 
to colonel of a regiment. He served through the war and 
died in Cambridge in 1798. James Reed, Jr., also served 
through the war. He was disabled in the service and died 


14 General yames Reed. 

a pensioner at Fitzwilliam, February 19, 1836, aged 89 
years. 

A contributor to the Granite Monthly , published at 
Concord, N. H., in writing of Gen. Reed, says that: 

“In all the relations of life he sustained the highest character for 
honesty and integrity. In the numerous records relating to him there 
is naught found but words of praise. Wherever his name is mentioned 
by his comrades, from Washington down, it is in terms of commenda¬ 
tion and eulogy. He was emphatically a Christian warrior. In the 
church records of the various towns where he resided his name is en¬ 
rolled amoug the records of each, and his military orders bespeak the 
Christian as well as the soldier.” 

His grave in Laurel Hill cemetery is marked by an 
elaborate slate-stone tablet, bearing the following quaint 
inscription: 

“James Reed, born at Woburn, 1723. In the various military scenes 
in which his country was concerned, from 1755 to the Superior Conflict 
distinguished in our history as the Revolution, he sustained Commissions. 
In that Revolution, at the important post of Lake George, he totally 
lost his sight. From that period to his death he received from his coun¬ 
try the retribution allowed to pensioners of the rank of Brigadier Gen¬ 
eral. Died at Fitchburg, February 13, 1807.” 

In this calm, peaceful retreat, overlooking the scenes 
of his declining years, repose the ashes of our heroic 
dead! 

* 

“Beside the Nashua’s silvery stream 
The hero’s relics deep are laid; 

No more of battle days he’ll dream, 

Fame claims no more;—her debt is paid; 

Yet o’er his grave her laurels bloom, 

And crown with brightest wreaths his tomb.” 










r>-\ 

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